Copper


The copper interview


Jamie Howarth of Plangent Processes: Making Rec...

Issue 213The Copper Interview

In Part One of this interview (Issue 212), Jamie Howarth, President of Plangent Processes and I discussed the fundamentals of the company’s audio speed-correction and stabilization technology, how the idea...

James Lee Stanley Reflects on Life, Love and Li...

Issue 211The Copper Interview

I’ve been listening to singer/songwriter/guitarist/actor/all-around great guy James Lee Stanley since 1988, when his Freelance Human Being album knocked me out. I believe he’s one of the most talented songwriters...

The Business of Why Vinyl Has Survived: Talking...

Issue 209The Copper Interview

Rene Wiedner is an organizational sociologist at Warwick Business School, which is part of Warwick University in Coventry, England. He studies change processes in organizations and industries and the relations...

Chapell the Band: Making Music Through a Legal ...

Issue 202The Copper Interview

A clichéd admonishment that practically every musician has heard during their developmental years is “don’t give up your day job.” The odds for most aspiring musicians to be able to...

Deko Entertainment: Keeping Current With Legacy...

Issue 201The Copper Interview

Our original intention was to revise and update the article and interview Ray Chelstowski did previously, to make it current for Deko’s activities in 2023. That updated article appeared in...

Steve Thompson and 1201_Alarm Create the First ...

Issue 200The Copper Interview

Composer/musician Steve Thompson and his band 1201_Alarm are about to make musical history. They will release a new album, Moonshot, on November 10 – and it was loaded onto the...

June Millington of Pioneering Rock Band Fanny, ...

Issue 200The Copper Interview

Part One and Part Two of this interview appeared in Issue 198 and Issue 199. Before the Runaways, before the Go-Go’s, before the Bangles – there was Fanny. David Bowie...

June Millington of Pioneering Rock Band Fanny, ...

Issue 199The Copper Interview

Before the Runaways, before the Go-Go’s, before the Bangles – there was Fanny. David Bowie was quoted in a 1999 Rolling Stone interview about Fanny: “They’re as important as anyone who’s ever...

June Millington of Pioneering Rock Band Fanny, ...

Issue 198The Copper Interview

Before the Runaways, before the Go-Go’s, before the Bangles – there was Fanny. David Bowie was quoted in a 1999 Rolling Stone interview about Fanny: “They’re as important as anyone who’s ever...

Mastering Engineer Steve Hoffman, Part Two

Issue 196The Copper Interview

In Part One of this interview (Issue 195), Steve and John Seetoo discussed Steve’s beginnings in the mastering world, his mentors, and some of his favorite projects. The interview concludes...

Steve Hoffman, Part One

Issue 195The Copper Interview

Steve Hoffman is one of the most highly-regarded  mastering engineers in the recording industry, and his discography is a microcosm of 20th and 21st Century music history. The thousands of...

Talking With Victor Janacua About the Birth of ...

Issue 193The Copper Interview

When Greg Curtis founded The Bridge Recording in Glendale, California, he knew from the get-go that he wanted a facility designed specifically as a large soundstage for recording and mixing...

Talking With Dr. Sean Olive of Harman Internati...

Issue 190The Copper Interview

Dr. Sean Olive is a Senior Fellow, Acoustic Research, at Harman International. He has extensive expertise in the areas of perception and measurement of sound quality, particularly in headphones. Part...

The Brooklyn-Canton Roots-Rock Digital Highway ...

Issue 188The Copper Interview

Much press is given to ever-younger indie artists creating music thanks to digital recording software, samples, loops and computers. However, there are also countless veteran indie artists who are still...

Producer/Engineer Bill Schnee: Talking With the...

Issue 187The Copper Interview

When one thinks of some of the iconic records from the 1970s through the 1990s, albums and songs like Steely Dan’s Aja, Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love For You,”...

Scott Smith and Tadd Swanlund of Comply: High-T...

Issue 185The Copper Interview

In our second part of our interview with Scott Smith and Tadd Swanlund of Comply (Part One appeared in Issue 183) we discover their approach to effective passive noise cancellation...

Scott Smith and Tadd Swanlund of Comply: High-T...

Issue 183The Copper Interview

Continuing our series on in-ear monitors (IEMs, also known as in-ear headphones or earbuds), we now speak to two key people at Comply, makers of memory foam eartips for IEMs....

Back to Analog – Academy Award-Winning Songwrit...

Issue 180The Copper Interview

“(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” was the Billboard Number 1 Hot 100 hit single from the 1987 Dirty Dancing soundtrack album, one of the biggest selling (over 32...

An Interview With Mobile Recording Innovator Da...

Issue 179The Copper Interview

We began our interview with mobile recording pioneer David W. Hewitt in Issue 178. Hewitt and his mobile trucks recorded thousands of concerts from hundreds of artists across the United...

An Interview With Mobile Recording Innovator Da...

Issue 178The Copper Interview

David W. Hewitt is one of the pioneers in designing remote multitrack recording studios. He and his mobile trucks recorded thousands of concerts from hundreds of artists across the United...

Interview: Lori Lieberman Returns To “Killing M...

Issue 175The Copper Interview

In 1972, Lori Lieberman’s self-titled debut album was released on Capitol Records. It contained a song co-written with Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel called “Killing Me Softly With His Song,”...

Piper Payne – A Mastering Engineer For Next Gen...

Issue 174The Copper Interview

After establishing her reputation as a mastering engineer in Oakland, California for artists like Third Eye Blind, The Go-Go’s, and LeAnn Rimes, Piper Payne merged her company with Infrasonic Mastering...

Piper Payne: A Mastering Engineer For Next-Gene...

Issue 173The Copper Interview

After establishing her reputation as a mastering engineer over the past decade in Oakland, California for such artists as Third Eye Blind, The Go-Go’s, and LeAnn Rimes, Piper Payne merged...

Piper Payne: A Mastering Engineer for Next-Gene...

Issue 172The Copper Interview

Despite her relative youth, Piper Payne has forged a formidable reputation as a mastering engineer, a rarefied set of skills that can make or break a recording commercially. Her work...

The Colors of Music: Synesthetic Artist Melissa...

Issue 170The Copper Interview

We’ll begin this article by having artist Melissa McCracken give us a short introduction to synesthesia and how it inspires her artwork. Melissa McCracken: Synesthesia is a neurological condition in...

How Does a Vinyl Record Even Sound Good at All?...

Issue 165The Copper Interview

We began our interview with Lewis Hopkin of Stardelta Audio Mastering in Issue 164. Here, he details the factors which are essential to perfection in mastering a vinyl record, in this second part...

How Does a Vinyl Record Even Sound Good at All?...

Issue 164The Copper Interview

Have you ever wondered, just how does a vinyl record even sound good at all? Well, how does it in reality? The PVC vinyl that records are made from, and the record-manufacturing...

Pristine Classical: Preserving Priceless Histor...

Issue 163The Copper Interview

In Issue 162, we profiled Pristine Classical, a company dedicated to improving the sound of historic classical music recordings, many of which were recorded using primitive equipment under less-than-ideal conditions. However, during...

Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz: Immersive Audi...

Issue 159The Copper Interview

With multiple Grammy Award wins and nominations to their credit, as well as European awards such as the Echo Klassik and Le Diamant d’Opera, Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz have...

Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz: Immersive Audi...

Issue 158The Copper Interview

With multiple Grammy Award wins and nominations to their credit, as well as European awards such as the Echo Klassik and Le Diamant d’Opera, Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz have...

Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz: Immersive Audi...

Issue 157The Copper Interview

Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz have multiple Grammy Award wins and nominations to their credit, as well as European awards such as the Echo Klassik and Le Diamant d’Opera. The...

Jim Anderson and Ulrike Schwarz: Immersive Audi...

Issue 156The Copper Interview

Married couples who work in the same field can often find that their relationship contains elements of both collaboration and competition. In the rarefied realm of immersive audio production, the...

Shannon Parks and his Magic Puffin

Issue 150The Copper Interview

My Leatherman multi-tool is indispensable. Although I bought it as a knife for opening boxes, I soon discovered I couldn’t go a week without the pliers and screwdrivers. The wire...

The Man with No Name? Michael Baugh Interview, ...

Issue 146THE COPPER INTERVIEW

In Part One (Issue 145) we talked to multifaceted guitar playing genius Michael Baugh about what inspired him to play guitar, and how he got into film composing. Here, Mike tells us...

The Man with No Name? Michael Baugh Interview, ...

Issue 145THE COPPER INTERVIEW

What do you get when you blend pyrotechnic guitar virtuosity, exceptional composing ability and a passion for all things musical? You get the uber-talented Michael Baugh, film composer, Ernie Ball Music...

Jo Quail: An Eclectic Approach to the Cello, Pa...

Issue 143THE COPPER INTERVIEW

In Part One of our interview (Issue 142), cellist Jo Quail discussed her creative processes, and what has inspired her unique approaches to playing the cello and composing. Here, we explore how she is...

Jo Quail: An Eclectic Approach to the Cello, Pa...

Issue 142THE COPPER INTERVIEW

Classical, rock and progressive music influences, percussive, looping and other ingenious cello techniques, as well as unusual collaborations are just some of the eclectic approaches Jo Quail takes to the cello. Jo’s...

Guy Michelmore: Film and TV Composer, YouTube E...

Issue 140THE COPPER INTERVIEW

Guy Michelmore is a creative powerhouse. His talents have made him the go-to “Guy” for composing scores for some of the most entertaining TV shows and films of our generation, including major...

Metallica: An Inside Look

Issue 140THE COPPER INTERVIEW

When my good buddy James asked if I’d like to do a Q&A with his friend and Metallica stage manager, Mike Washer, I said “absolutely.” I knew a Q&A with...

Acoustic Guitarist Extraordinaire: Gordon Giltr...

Issue 139THE COPPER INTERVIEW

Modern-day troubadour and acoustic-guitar pioneer since the 1960s, Gordon Giltrap, MBE (Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) is one of the finest guitarists of his generation. The English musician...

VMP Anthology: The Story of Herbie Hancock

Issue 138THE COPPER INTERVIEW

Vinyl Me, Please (VMP) is a company dedicated to creating singular listening experiences that arrive with records housed in beautifully-designed packaging, and extras that are carefully considered and make the entire...

C.J. Vanston – Producer, Film Composer, Musicia...

Issue 138THE COPPER INTERVIEW

In Part One (Issue 137), producer/composer/musician C.J. Vanston talked about the beginning of his career and how he got his recording studio break, on what it was like to play...

Dr. Fang Bian of HIFIMAN

Issue 137THE COPPER INTERVIEW

HIFIMAN manufactures high-end headphones, headphone amps, portable music players, headphone cables, and other products. The company was founded in by Dr. Fang Bian in 2007 in China and, two years later, introduced...

C.J. Vanston – Producer, Film Composer, Musicia...

Issue 137THE COPPER INTERVIEW

Record producer to the stars and Hollywood film composer C.J. Vanston has more talents than seems humanly possible. Not only is he a go-to record producer and first-call film composer,...

Dr. Patrick Gleeson: The Interview, Part Three

Issue 137THE COPPER INTERVIEW

Musician, engineer, producer,  professor of 18th Century English literature?! You may not be familiar with the name Patrick Gleeson, but he has quite a résumé. He ditched a career as a...

Engineer/Producer Tom Newman: From Virgin Recor...

Issue 136THE COPPER INTERVIEW

The birth of Virgin Records, the recording of Mike Oldfield’s landmark Tubular Bells, and a whole new approach to granting recording artists time out of the city to compose with creative...

Guy Michelmore: Film and TV Composer and Educat...

Issue 141THE COPPER INTERVIEW

In Part One (Issue 140), Guy Michelmore revealed many insights into what it takes to be a successful composer for TV and for film. Here he tells us more about what contributes...

Paul Brett: Guitarist, Designer and Collector o...

Issue 135THE COPPER INTERVIEW

Paul Brett is a renowned guitarist, performer and recording artist. He’s also an instrument historian and designer, a journalist, and a collector. Paul has played with the Strawbs, the Crazy...

The Yamaha Influence, Part One

Issue 134THE COPPER INTERVIEW

Is a music instrument manufacturer that also makes home audio gear, such as Yamaha, uniquely poised or best equipped to faithfully reproduce music to a high quality in their stereo...

Sylvia Massy: Pushing Sonic Boundaries With a R...

Issue 134THE COPPER INTERVIEW

From her punk and hard rock roots as a musician, Sylvia Massy has risen to dizzily lofty heights and accolades as an innovative and highly-sought producer and engineer. Her work...